Subplate neurons are the first cortical neurons to respond to sensory stimuli
Date
2017Journal
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaPublisher
National Academy of SciencesType
Article
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In utero experience, such as maternal speech in humans, can shape later perception, although the underlying cortical substrate is unknown. In adult mammals, ascending thalamocortical projections target layer 4, and the onset of sensory responses in the cortex is thought to be dependent on the onset of thalamocortical transmission to layer 4 as well as the ear and eye opening. In developing animals, thalamic fibers do not target layer 4 but instead target subplate neurons deep in the developing white matter. We investigated if subplate neurons respond to sensory stimuli. Using electrophysiological recordings in young ferrets, we show that auditory cortex neurons respond to sound at very young ages, even before the opening of the ears. Single unit recordings showed that auditory responses emerged first in cortical subplate neurons. Subsequently, responses appeared in the future thalamocortical input layer 4, and sound-evoked spike latencies were longer in layer 4 than in subplate, consistent with the known relay of thalamic information to layer 4 by subplate neurons. Electrode array recordings show that early auditory responses demonstrate a nascent topographic organization, suggesting that topographic maps emerge before the onset of spiking responses in layer 4. Together our results show that sound-evoked activity and topographic organization of the cortex emerge earlier and in a different layer than previously thought. Thus, early sound experience can activate and potentially sculpt subplate circuits before permanent thalamocortical circuits to layer 4 are present, and disruption of this early sensory activity could be utilized for early diagnosis of developmental disorders.Sponsors
This work was supported by NIH Grant R01DC009607 (to P.O.K.) and the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation (P.O.K.).Identifier to cite or link to this item
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85034587207&doi=10.1073%2fpnas.1710793114&partnerID=40&md5=6c25f9477684b4b1e93d2bb40c84254d; http://hdl.handle.net/10713/11260ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1073/pnas.1710793114
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